A related art inkjet recording apparatus records an image on a recording medium. The recording medium is conveyed to a position opposing a nozzle formation surface having a plurality of ink discharging nozzles formed thereon, and ink is discharged from the nozzles onto the recording medium. This related art inkjet recording apparatus is provided with a wiper blade with elasticity that is pressingly contacted against the nozzle formation surface and wipes the nozzle formation surface.
For example, Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2006-192693 describes a related art inkjet recording apparatus provided with the wiper blade. In the related art inkjet recording apparatus, a carriage 100 is stopped at an intermediate position of a wiping operation. A wiper blade 21, which is an elastic member, is in a flexed state and performs a remainder of the wiping operation of wiping to an end of the nozzle formation surface by moving the wiper blade 21 in a direction which decreases the flexing.
However, the related art inkjet recording apparatus has some disadvantages. For example, the wiper blade 21 is moved in the direction which decreases the flexing. The wiping process uses a complex mechanism that includes a wiper unit 20 to move the wiper blade 21.